June 2011 Quick Links, Part 1 (Copyright & Trademark Edition)

* Good news: the US government is funding alternative networks that dissidents can use to communicate when the Internet is censored by repressive regimes. Bad news: the US government is teaching the rest of the world how to censor the Internet through DHS domain name seizures and COICA/PROTECT IP Act. Maybe the US-funded alternative networks will help out those censored by the US government?

US federal law enforcement operations occurring between 2001 and 2005 attempted to disrupt the online piracy scene, targeting copyright piracy rings known as ‘warez groups’. Previous work on warez groups has demonstrated a paradoxical situation where attempts to curtail warez group activities through policing and advancements in DRM only further encourage such groups to crack and distribute content. This study collected data on 93 convictions from these policing operations to construct a crime script of these groups’ motivations and modus operandi in the release process. The results confirm previous findings that attempts to disrupt the activities of warez groups are counterproductive. To avoid the paradox, this study suggests that industry account for the motivations and modus operandi of these groups by creating DRM technologies which allow un-cracked content to seep through the testing step of the script, thereby placing a group’s ability to obtain prestige at risk. Law enforcement should focus on apprehending crackers, as they are the most significant step in the release process.